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Sunday, February 19, 2017

Madness and Chaos: The Left in the Time of Trump

In the late 1950s, the now sadly departed great Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe wrote his masterpiece, Things Fall Apart. I remember reading his novel in high school, and being struck by the story it tells. It's been years since I read the book, and don't remember all the details of how the main character watches helplessly as his traditional yam-based Ibo way of life loses the battle to the encroaching white man's culture. As he realizes he has no place in the new culture that has emerged, he commits suicide.

The man, Donald Trump, who ran the most unorthodox campaign since, since, well, you fill in the date, and who was given less chance to win than the Cubs, well, he won. The losers are not happy. The sort of attack they have launched on Trump, his administration, and supporters might seem unprecedented, although it might be comparable to how the Democrats in the South reacted to Republican-led Reconstruction after the Civil War, except it doesn't make anywhere as much sense.

At the risk of some exaggeration--but this is a blog, and that's what we do--perhaps we should see Trump as bringer of the new culture to the traditional culture of the traditional Washington elites and their enablers in the universities, Hollywood, and corporate medialandia. There is no doubt that a huge socio-cultural clash is underway. Turn on your TV; you see it. Listen to the debates of people around you; you hear it.

Trump has upended the traditional political culture in a way not seen since, well, I don't know since when; you fill in the date. The left are akin to some sort of American Ibo who see their traditional government-based culture threatened, and much of their behavior seems to indicate they, too, are preparing to commit suicide.

After watching some anti-Trump demonstration on TV, a friend of my son's asked these intelligent questions of me the other day, "What has Trump done? Why is he accused of being racist? Why do they hate him so much?" Best as I can tell, I think they hate the idea of Trump. He wasn't supposed to be president. He is not, I guess, one with the body. He has, in short, exposed them as, no other word for it, crazy. Yes, crazy.

So they hate Trump but what are these protestors and their media enablers for?

As far as I can tell they are for children but also for killing unborn ones with no restriction, no apology, and no need for a fee. They are for LBGT and women's "rights," but ally themselves with Muslims who practice FGM, oppose abortion, treat women like cattle, promote and engage in honor killings, and advocate death for LBGT people. They are for women's rights, but want men who think they are women to use women's washrooms. They are for free speech, but shut down anybody who disagrees with them, and, of course, they ally themselves with Muslims who oppose freedom of speech and thought as part of their core dogma. They are against racism but try to stir up old racial animosities and conflicts that had long been resolved, buried, and forgotten. They are for poor working people, but oppose the tax and the regulatory structures that create jobs. They are for poor working people but favor unrestricted immigration that drives down wages, crowds out jobs, and absorbs the funds of public welfare schemes. They want free education for all, but oppose letting poor and middle class people have the right to choose their schools, unlike the rich people who do. They shout "Love Trumps Hate!" as they bash opponents with bricks and poles. They have spent decades denouncing the military, the CIA, the NSA, and the FBI as oppressors of the people, but now want those agencies to sabotage an elected president. The wealthy ones denounce gun ownership and walls but live behind protective shields of men with guns and walls around their exclusive properties. Hollywood stars who made millions living in the land of make-believe denounce non-existent Trumpian "brownshirts" and bravely proclaim their resistance! They are for the environment and prove it by flying to environmental rallies in their private jets. They, well . . . you can go on with this sad litany.

For these leftists, facts don't matter. Logic is absent, abhorred, and shouted down. The emotion is the thing. The posturing is the thing. The slogan is the thing.

I think when all is said and done we have to conclude that there is a large element of mental disturbance.

They are crazy.

They are psychotic.

As do many psychotic movements they can't decide whether their movement is about killing us or committing spectacular suicide. I know what I am rooting for . . .

105 comments:

What you describe sounds like a fanatical religious cult. That's probably because it effectively is a fanatical religious cult.

I thought it wise of Trump to appoint a couple of generals to his cabinet. It's a pity he lost one. I'm not much impressed at this flirting with the idea of appointing an Admiral in his place. It's soldiers, marines, and the Air Force he'll need on his side when push comes to shove.

the left loved russia when it was ruled by the communists as the soviet union and posed a direct and dire threat to the west, and now blames russia under putin for every ill under the sun in a manner to rival the john birch society. i simply cannot fathom how trump's desire to find some ways to get along with the russians makes him impeachable according to democratic party stalwarts.

I have to say that, so far as I know, Russia is not now a conspicuous ally of Cuba, ISIS, or North Korea, which would mean that it is not now allied with *all* of our enemies apart from itself.

In annexing Crimea it has violated the international law principle uti possidetis, which is quite a big deal. I could go on, but won't.

The left, which previously hasn't met an enemy of the United States it didn't like unless you go all the way back to Hubert Humphrey, only objects to this because it thinks it can use it as a bludgeon against Trump. That doesn't mean that it isn't quite serious. The Congress is investigating. It should.

I know few liberals with children, fewer with children less than forty years younger than themselves, still fewer with two children, and almost none with more than two. When one spends of of his or her time solely thinking about oneself and one's political views, there's little time to realize the value of family and service to others.If we can 'ride out' this insanity for a generation or two, the problem should solve itself.*IF*

A citation of sorts: http://anepigone.blogspot.com/2015/12/among-whites-conservative-liberal.html(only moderates and conservatives are above replacement level, with 'more conservative' having a whopping 63% higher birth rate)

Also note, these very liberal areas extending generation distancehttp://siliconvalleyindicators.org/special-reports/population-brief-may-2015/table-median-age-of-mothers-at-the-time-of-giving-birth-2008-and-2013/ it's gone up since 2013, when it was 32 for median age at first birth. I don't have the reference, but iirc, it was 25yrs old for first birth nationally and *34* for San Francisco.

Hence the Left's desire for uncontrolled immigration and for keeping their grip on the education system. They need means other than reproduction to shift demographics in their favor. Immigration of those likely to vote Democrat, and indoctrination of the nation's youth, are how they hope to do so.

Seems to me there is a big rift coming in the Dem Party: the party is becoming/endorsing more with Muslims, yet is considered the party of the gays/LGBTQ. Islam & homosexuality are incompatible - n'est pas? Anybody else notice this?

According to testimony from prison officials - including Kamal Afkhami Ardekani, who formerly worked at Evin prison - recently given to United Nations human rights rapporteurs: "They would line up prisoners in a 14-by-five-metre hall in the central office building and then ask simply one question, 'What is your political affiliation?' Those who said the Mojahedin would be hanged from cranes in position in the car park behind the building."

He went on to describe how, every half an hour from 7.30am to 5pm, 33 people were lifted on three forklift trucks to six cranes, each of which had five or six ropes. He said: "The process went on and on without interruption." In two weeks, 8,000 people were hanged. Similar carnage took place across the country.

If anything, the list is too short. Hmm, here's more:Black Lives Matter, but conservatives, esp. black ones, should be shot.Diversity is great, as long as it is socialistic.Religious tolerance is critical, but not toward Jews.A living Constitution is great, and the existing one needs to be ignored.Wage stagnation is a sign of capitalism's failure, so we need to control it more so that it does not grow. The left has the right to ignore inconvenient legislation on immigration, environment, labor market, crony capitalism, and conservatives have no right to demand that they be enforced and obeyed.And on and on like that ....

Either they settle down and grow up, or kill themselves. I don't care whichORYou are going to have a civil war that will make the last one look like a schoolyard Tiff. And THEY will die like dogs. For you will have to kill them all

I really hope they grow up or maybe get laughed off the stage and be ignored.

If the USA gets into a civil war, first a lot of good people will be hurt. Second, and arguably worse, the barbarians at (and inside) the gates of Europe and east Asia and around Israel and south of the USA will be less inhibited or perhaps not at all. A new dark age could result.

None of those things is going to happen. They aren't going to settle down or grow up or kill themselves. There isn't going to be a civil war.

Hint: The United States Army will not mutiny. That is dispositive. The side which opposes the president can, at worst, try some guerilla action. They are exceedingly unlikely to, because they'd be crushed like bugs.

Another example; the psychiatrists who wrote to the NY times saying Trump is mentally unfit to serve. Clearly they haven't heard of, or are prepared to be bound by, the APA Code of Ethics and the Goldwater Rule. One rule for them, and another for everyone else. A good discussion of the issue: http://www.xyz.net.au/the-goldwater-rule/

The problem is we try to fight back by pointing out their hypocrisy, but I have come to the view that it is a waste of time, because they just don't care about the hypocrisy; it is water off a duck's back to them. If they had to sensibly reconcile their positions, they would go crazy, so they don't. And they have prevailed for so long with irrational and hypocritical positions without ever being called out, so they just don't see the problem.

Psychiatrists! What harm they have been inflicting on the public. At least some part of the behavior in the left is thanks to their over-prescriptions. Here is a group that needs to take a hard look at the idea of "first, do no harm."

"Facts don't matter. Logic is absent and even abhorred and shouted down. The emotion is the thing. The posturing is the thing. The slogan is the thing."

This has been systematically inculcated by public schools for a generation now. Wonder where the "activists" and "community organizers" come from?

Erin Schweng, the new principal of Berkeley High School (which used to be very good) was previously a middle school teacher in the same district. in 2012,

"Today was Hoodie Day at Longfellow School in Berkeley. Students and teachers at the middle school wore hoodies in memory of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, in Sanford, Fla. on Feb. 26.

The class of teacher Erin Schweng also had skittles and Arizona Tea, both items Martin was carrying when he died.

'We talked about what happened, and how what we’re doing today is just a small thing but that it shows solidarity and support,' said Schweng. 'Our middle school students are young people with heart, passion, and a budding activism all their own.'”http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/03/30/longfellow-holds-hoodie-day-in-honor-of-trayvon-martin/

The craziness only exists because sane people continue to pay for it through their taxes. I hope Trump will start defunding public education as soon as possible. Public Education is the real source of this poison. Few of the left would have a job or be able to feed themselves if not for public education.

One trouble with your analysis, Dip. Could it be that we, the sensible people, are the "yam-based Ibo culture", while the crazy Left is the relentless white imperialism that is now thoroughly incensed that "the bloomin' nye-tives" are getting uppity?

I find the establishing of Sturmabteilung in the form of the Black Bloc by the Left to be very disquieting, and the small Kristallnachts they are carrying out. But what really disturbs me is the idea of a large percentage of Americans being "Deplorable". How far is it from deplorable, to Lebensunwerte leben? I think it's probably a very good thing that Mr. trump won.

"...As far as I can tell they are for children but also for killing unborn ones with no restriction, no apology, and no need for a fee..."Can oy tell me exactly who wants to kill unborn children? And apparently you think it would be OK if they apologize, or pay a fee???Anyone who reads this drivel, and agrees with it, is likely insane. Which explains your unfettered support for a lying lunatic. Pray for the victims of whatever didn't happen in Sweden.

Crime in Sweden has been little changed in the last decade and and it's fiction that any increase in rape is attributable to an influx of refugees...rather to a redefinition and broadening of the legal definition of rape there.But don't let facts stand in the way of your bigotry, Ron.If you are reading this site and the conservative treehouse then you are so far out there that there is no saving you. Revel in your insanity.

Is your first question intended to challenge the definition of abortion as "killing unborn children"? I can't think of a better one, but at least that would cause your complaint to make sense. If you accept that definition, there seem to be plenty of Americans in favour of it. Under certain circumstances, with apologies to our host, so am I, but I will still call it what it is.

Presumably Diplomad's reference to a fee is merely a shot at the abortion movement's goal of ensuring this service be available at public expense. Barring the health of the mother being the immediate issue, abortion doesn't meet the test of being about caring for the sick and injured and comforting the dying that should be the baseline for publicly funded health.

The rest of Diplomad's juxtapositions are perfectly clear and their ironies obvious, even if one agrees with the worldview being criticized. I don't normally expect anyone on the irony-obsessed left to be deficient in that quality.

@ Autonymous:Hint - if the facts don't agree with your bigotry that does not make me obtuse.Fact - there has been a significant increase in immigration in Sweden.Fact - there has not been a corresponding significant increase in crime.Fact - there is no rape epidemic in Sweden.Fact - Ami Horowitz is an immigrant who is anti-immigration.Fact - the officers he interviewed says he pulled an O'Keefe on them: "“We answered a different question. We don’t stand behind what he says. He is a madman...He has edited the answers. We were answering completely different questions in the interview.”Fact - the so-called president said something clearly inaccurate, based on a third-rate cable show filled with faulty references to statistics and a dubiously edited agitprop film clip.And you think that's awesome. Your ignorance and gullibility is contributing to the demise of this nation.

@ Random Observer:"...The rest of Diplomad's juxtapositions are perfectly clear and their ironies obvious..."The rest of the juxtapositions were just as retarded as saying anyone is in favor of killing children.

"They are for poor working people but favor unrestricted immigration that drives down wages, crowds out jobs, and absorbs the funds of public welfare schemes."

Actually, it should be helpful to poor people if welfare is destroyed since it degrades everything it touches - even though this is probably not part of the leftist calculation.

"They want free education for all, but oppose letting poor and middle class people have the right to choose their schools..."

This is doubtful. Both sides prefer welfare. The leftists want stolen money to fund government schools (socialism) while the right want stolen money to fund private schools (fascism). The correct thing to do is separate school and state; get government entirely out of education. Tax-funded vouchers are not any kind of advance over the mess we have already.

I don't see how the West can pull out of this civilizational tailspin. The Left wants to see Western civilization destroyed and they're indifferent to what comes after. It's basic nihilism. Sometimes a very canny leader can create a Catch-22 whereby a nihilitic opposition movement destroys itself. But it's rare, it tends to be a self-reinforcing thing that destroys the host culture. The 'point of no return' is when trust in institutions is lost, b/c then there's no point in serving in any traditional institution when your actions will just be twisted and used against you. We've almost crossed that red line.

Canadian reader here. I want to sympathize, I really do. But I need any help anyone here is willing to give.

I'm probably not willing to watch Trump's legendary press conference last week, but I hear everything from "he rocked it" on certain websites to "completely unhinged" from basically everywhere else.

Similarly, I have this dim memory of hearing reports of immigrant crime from Sweden, Norway and Denmark in the past decade, although not necessarily endemic, regardless of overall crime rates, but have no counter to this latest meme.

Hey, it was too cold out to do anything but hide until a couple days ago. Early spring now, though. Get me some wood for my wood-burning router and we'll be all set.

Also, as any researcher or PI would tell you, just asking folks is sometimes the quickest way to get information. You should always at least start with that. THEN you fire up the wireless or crack open dusty tomes of forgotten lore.

Or to sum up- I daily worry that I am that Ibo yam farmer and that I will pass a few more decades of life in a country effectively ruled by space aliens, at least to my mind. At least until it joins whatever version of the caliphate actually wins.

It divides society into categories based on personal characteristics like race, gender and sexuality. It then labels some of those groups as oppressors and some as victims, and teaches that all interactions between the members of different groups must be interpreted in terms of a hierarchy of power.

It also teaches that the personal is political. This is a natural consequence of defining the political factions in society in terms of their personal characteristics. But it means that every aspect of life then has to be interpreted in political terms, and in the framework of identity politics that means that every single thing in the world must be seen as an expression of the power relationships between the oppressors and their victims.

Now imagine what it means to really internalize that worldview. For example, a woman who has come to believe that men are her oppressors will come to see all men as a threat. She will become acutely conscious of the presence of men and will feel unsafe when there are any males nearby. She will begin to believe that she is surrounded by predators who want to do her harm and who have society’s permission to do so. Every social interaction will begin to seem dangerous and loaded with hidden messages about power and privilege. Political disagreement becomes intolerable because if the personal is political there is no difference between political disagreement and a personal attack.

In other words, the logic of identity politics naturally leads to paranoid thinking, and the more seriously a person takes it the more paranoid he, she or xe will become.

This results in a demand for “safe spaces” from which the designated oppressor groups are excluded. It also leads to rage, because people who feel that they are constantly under threat will come to hate the thing that threatens them even if the threat is largely or wholly imaginary. This in turn leads to outbursts of violence and hysteria as a means of releasing the psychological pressure of living under constant siege.

Now imagine how Donald Trump would appear to someone with that mindset. He’s a rich, white, alpha male Republican. Their ideology teaches them that a man like him is the apex predator of oppression, and the paranoia that it induces will make them feel that all this terrible danger is aimed at them personally. Even if they could somehow bring Donald Trump down they would soon feel just as threatened as they did before, because they cannot let go of their own self-image as victims without admitting that the whole conceptual framework of identity politics is fundamentally wrong.

But when the personal is political, changing your opinion on anything becomes a matter of changing part of your identity and that is never easy for anybody, so don’t expect the left to calm down anytime soon.

Leftism and paranoia -- correlation or causation? This post argues that leftism induces a persecution complex. Perhaps. But I think it is even more insidious than that. Naturally, paranoid people will tend towards leftism because it promises -- falsely -- the protection of a paternalistic state. We all know how well that works. But our gloriously failing educational bureaucracy from nursery school through college now actively teaches students to become paranoid. Yes, the main function of contemporary education in America is to induce a sense of persecution in all students. This causes them to become lefties. So, I think the most critical problem is that we are now breeding generations of cry-babies who will fundamentally alter the character of the nation. To make leftism work, you must create paranoids. This is, I believe, the most important link in the correlation-causation chain.

They hate him principally because he is in their way. I'm confident they could have whipped themselves up to 90% of the hate for McCain or Romney, had either of them won.

But that does leave about 10% because Trump is not their sort of guy. Not a meritocrat. More of a Lyndon Johnson type, much out of style in the modern Democratic Party and an offense to their aesthetic sense and, more important, their amour-propre, an attack on their status.

Most of the discussions about the anti-Trump Dems/libs/protesters/GOP establishment politicians and conservative punditry focus on their actions. I think we need to talk about their beliefs, as actions/reactions are driven by beliefs.

I saw a poll last week which said a significant majority of Dems (Sorry, I forget the percent) do not think Islam is more violent than other religions. According to this poll, about 15% of Republicans do not think Islam is more violent than other religions.

I forget which poll. First reaction is of course to think they made up their numbers and/or the poll is a joke. But then you look at the fact that close to 50% of Germans still support Merkel. So I think whether the poll numbers are exactly accurate or not, the poll is correct that a lot of Americans do not think Islam is particularly dangerous. That, imho, is the starting place for analysis of the opposition. If you believe Islam is not particularly dangerous, then of course you believe Trump is a racist (yes, I know Muslims are not really a race.) and that he is persecuting innocent people, in fact innocent refugees.

But how could anyone believe Islam is not more dangerous than other religions? Have people who think this been living in a cave since 2001? Right here, at this belief (and their other beliefs equally bizarre) is where we need to start. How can Dems/libs/protesters/some establishment GOP politicians and many conservative pundits inhabit a different universe, divorced from our reality? Yes, their actions/reactions are overwrought and hysterical but the real problem is their beliefs which drive their actions/reactions: these beliefs are hugely, suicidally, demonstrably wrong, divorced from any reality in any universe we can recognize.

I believe on most big issues where we see apparently crazy actions/reactions from Dems/libs/protesters/some establishment GOP pols and conservative pundits (and John McCain) there is often a driving belief which is a delusion from an alternative universe, divorced from any reality we recognize.

Islam, climate change, the benevolence of gov't, you name it. Let's take immigration. Historically, immigrants came to this country to be Americans, assimilated, provided a needed work force and made great contributions. All this made mass immigration desirable. But all that has changed. Many to most immigrants no longer come here to be Americans, no longer assimilate, no longer come from societies with educational levels and cultural attitudes which permit them to, or make them desire to, make contributions to America. Furthermore, the extra workers are now not only unneeded but instead depress wages and take away jobs from those already here. Immigrants collect welfare, make public life more cumbersome and expensive (e.g., need for translations and translators) and greatly inhibit the ability of schools to teach. Dems/libs/protesters/some establishment GOP pols and conservative pundits (and John McCain) have failed to notice the new reality. Still living in a long defunct reality, they espouse open borders and protect from deportation the illegals whom who think are good for the country and, moreover, they assume are innocents being persecuted because of their race (Brown skin). So again we have the presence of delusion and demonstrably wrong belief.

I think we can go through the whole range of issues and find in most cases the Dems/libs/protesters/some establishment GOP pols and conservative pundits (and John McCain) believe different facts, inhabit a universe with a different reality from ours.(I leave aside those interested only in power who are merely exploiting whatever they can to further their own agenda,)

So the question becomes: what explains the deluded, divorced from reality beliefs of so many, including many high-functioning individuals? I don't know; in addition to a number of unresolved anger problems, maybe they are..... crazy?

Right, like gays are born that way? Is it dominant or recessive? How do you explain peoplem like me? My mom was a pink diaper baby, her parents met on one of the Eugene Debs protests. My dad's a Stevenson liberal. I became a libertarian under the influence of my now husband. I don't think you've thought this through.

my suspicion is that, like GWB, pope fancypants is redefining Islam to meet what he wants it to be... ie, the group of observant muslims excepting those following Muhammed path of violent conquest.pope probably has some ulterior motive other than a lack of faith/equivalence-of-religions thing.

@Diplomat: Great post!The answer to 'why' we are seeing the horror reality show play out in streets, television and newspapers across this country is the Deep State marching orders given to these shock troops involving Soros - who finances it - Obama et al and Hillary et al. The elites and Deep State are lashing out while enraged that their Deep State candidate lost. Meanwhile - the media exposed their agenda during the election removing their masks. They are and have always been the US Pravda who will do their part in moving the agenda of the Deep State via their propaganda news as any agent of the Deep State would. Our country is run by the shadow government that involves anti-American agents out of partially the state department and as exposed by the released FBI notes 'meets weekly on the 7th floor at the state dept. catching up or planning next steps, actions and more. These agents are entrenched while controlling all branches of government together with their agents across the 16 intelligence agencies who then either leaks intended intelligence to their agents in the propaganda media, sets up and carries out false flags via attacks big or small like 9/11 as to gain access into other countries and removing via coups one government after another to further the agenda. Over the past 8+ years we have seen coups in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Honduras, Ukraine and Syria although the Deep State did not succeed there after Putin entered to stop the overthrow of its client and president Assad. What you see play out in streets, on screen and newspaper is the retaliation of the shadow government against the DT administration and those of us who either supported and/or voted for DT. Finally - the destruction of Michael Flynn was of utmost importance to this shadow government as he was about to expose something so dark, sinister and debilitating about this shadow government and its agents across the 16 spy agencies as well as the political leadership in DC that would have not only brought down this Deep State and its agents but also permanently destroyed their power and control including its agents on the world stage. This long known secret and actions of those involved would have caused every citizen to rise and march - pitchfork in hands here and abroad ergo campaign to destroy its opponent Flynn. Longtime friend and supporter of Obama - Jeff Bezos - who just moved to DC almost next door to Obama in his rented mansion - owns Amazon and the Washington Post. This Jeff Bezos also entered into a contract with the CIA in the tune of 600 million dollars this past year. Now you may connect the dots how it is that the reporters at the WP have a direct hotline into the CIA to scheme gaining secret information ad intelligence on anyone marked for destruction. Now you may understand how it is that the WP was the paper who leaked classified intelligence, wiretaps and more about Michael Flynn - the target of destruction by the Deep State.

From the Podesta emails, it seemed that Podesta was the spider at the center of the web, though it all depended on Soros and Silicon Valley money. We could really use some inside reporting on these networks. We haven't heard from the Clinton Cash author for a while. Maybe he can provide enlightenment. Just wonder who it is today developing left strategy and giving marching orders to the press and the foot soldiers.

@Unknown: BINGO!Flynn's son was the first to seriously address this issue and hung for it via the agents of the deep state. He was fired!Flynn Sr was working on it as well plus the secret deals by Obama et al with Iran.Pizzagate is no joke although it was 'leaked' with the intent to keep all politicians in line and join into the destruction of Trump. That also includes all republicans or conservatives. This demonic network is far and wide reaching across the world. Reading the FBI insider's opinion how to defeat the Deep State and their satanic network of pedophiles and snuff films of trafficked children after brutally raped is partially laid out at Zero Hedge as a couple of agents in the know must keep their identity off the records. I read on the 'deep net' where you can find said agent. Just to direct anyone needing to understand: start with billionaire Epstein, Loitia Express, the Clinton's and their involvement with child abductions and sex trafficking, Epstein's island - the place of unspeakable cruelty to children and place where other politicians are compromised just by their presence of such 'events'. Follow that lead and follow the lead of Hillary's aide - Silsby who was imprisoned after being caught trying to smuggle 33 children out of Haiti. Hillary et al managed to reduce her prison sentence to 6 months. There is more!

"The fading of the critical sense is a serious menace to the preservation of our civilization. It makes it easy for quacks to fool the people. It is remarkable that the educated strata are more gullible than the less educated. The most enthusiastic supporters of Marxism, Nazism, and Fascism were the intellectuals, not the boors. The intellectuals were never keen enough to see the manifest contradictions of their creeds. It did not in the least impair the popularity of Fascism that Mussolini in the same speech praised the Italians as the representatives of the oldest Western civilization and as the youngest among the civilized nations. No German nationalist minded it when dark-haired Hitler, corpulent Goering, and lame Goebbels were praised as the shining representatives of the tall, slim, fair-haired, heroic Aryan master race. Is it not amazing that many millions of non-Russians are firmly convinced that the Soviet regime is democratic, even more democratic than America?

****The champions of socialism call themselves progressives, but they recommend a system which is characterized by rigid observance of routine and by a resistance to every kind of improvement. They call themselves liberals, but they are intent upon abolishing liberty. They call themselves democrats, but they yearn for dictatorship. They call themselves revolutionaries, but they want to make the government omnipotent. They promise the blessings of the Garden of Eden, but they plan to transform the world into a gigantic post office. Every man but one a subordinate clerk in a bureau, what an alluring utopia! What a noble cause to fight for! "

I don't wish to question von Mises, though as a somewhat reformed ex-libertarian perhaps I should. But in this passage he deploys a rhetorical tool I find quite common among the progs today- the accusation of contradiction where none exists.

This passage: " Mussolini in the same speech praised the Italians as the representatives of the oldest Western civilization and as the youngest among the civilized nations. " offers no contradiction, even using the most ordinary everyday definitions for the terms it employs. Although I'd challenge the idea that the Romans were the oldest western civilization, assuming they were it was entirely reasonable to consider modern Italians the most direct [not exclusive] heir to them and at the same time young as a modern nation state and modern congealed ethnic nation. I can hardly think of a truer or more reasonable thing to say.

Perhaps more inflammatory, but did the Nazis ever actually hold up any of those three as representing their ideal physical type?

The villainy of the regimes does not excuse this sort of rhetorical tactic, especially when it's a tactic that has been coded into the metal of modern progressives and used against their enemies for years.

The left is only "for" any of those things on the list to the extent they undermine and destroy the values of Western Civilization. To that extent they are not in fact crazy; they follow a logical and reasoned pattern that is not divorced from reality.What it is divorced from is not sanity or the real world but morality and the basis for our morality, the Judeo Christian God.

They're not crazy; they're evil.Now most I suspect haven't got the sense God gave a Tufted Titmouse so have no idea they're following a God and civilizational hating ideology. They are simply Eric Hoffer's empty headed True Believer with a funnel on top for the brains of the outfit to shovel in daily propaganda for them to reiterate. But the guys with the shovels know exactly what they're doing and there is no other word for them than EVIL.

Partition is the only answer. Americans who adhere to traditional values and principles can no longer live side by side peacefully with progressive/communists bent on chaos and anarchy. Neither can accept a government dominated by the other. Perhaps it is time for the progressive/communists to pursue their utopian fantasies without the benefit of the work and financial support of traditional Americans.

That's a little beyond overwrought. Tillerson and Mattis seem to be pretty reasonable appointments. Observing a missile test in North Korea while at dinner with the prime minister of Japan doesn't seem crazy. This isn't a terror attack. Many many missile tests have been carried out by North Korea and we've done nothing but some strongly worded statements and the international equivalent of code enforcement citations. The missile test information was all over the news at the same time. The onus is on the outraged to somehow show that there was classified material being opened up in a public venue.Now I'm sure several Presidents would've made a big show of hustling into a bunker and preparing writs to implement martial law.... just-in-case.Nothing about this administration says "let's burn the post-WW2 world to the ground." But I do think they take some enjoyment in the 'I can't sleep at night's and various hedzploding going on by their adversaries.

About Me

W. Lewis Amselem, long time US Foreign Service Officer; now retired; served all over the world and under all sorts of conditions. Convinced the State Department needs to be drastically slashed and reformed so that it will no longer pose a threat to the national interests of the United States.